


Goodbye, Hello

by WindVoid6



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Klaus Hargreeves Whump, Klaus is lonely, M/M, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, and so he is oddly calm, for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25678204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindVoid6/pseuds/WindVoid6
Summary: ‘Go back to 2019’ Five said. ‘It’ll be simple’ Five said. ‘It never happened’ Five said.Or,The events after the Umbrella Academy arrive back in 2019. Now more than ever, they have to be a family. Luckily, they’d already made a start.Now just throw in two dysfunctional families with superpowers and a plotting father. Can’t forget haunting memories too.
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves & Vanya Hargreeves, Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone
Comments: 23
Kudos: 241





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILER WARNING. AGAIN.
> 
> I’m sobbing. The cliffhanger. Ben... oooh Ben :”(  
> AND just about everything in between those two is depressing. So, ima fix my depression and maybe even yours with my crappy story that continues on from the Season two ending. Except the first chapter is before the ending because I have feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for literally that whole thing. This is a prologue or whatever. Just some memories, that will have a role

Ben was gone, as in, gone gone. Klaus should be angry, should be upset, but he hasn’t quite gotten to believing it. He went out like a hero. He saved the world, he saved Vanya, he saved everyone and he saved himself. What more could anyone ask for?

He got his happily ever after he so deserved. All good things. Yet, Klaus was curious. Stupid thing really but it was like a nagging itch.

So, as everyone turned down Vanya’s desperate ask of help, Klaus followed as the opportunity presented itself, and of course he couldn’t let his sister walk alone now could he?

”So, so, so, Ben huh? Gone forever, isn’t he?” Klaus slouched down in the seat while slamming the door shut.

”He traded his life for mine, while he saved the world in the process” He huffed. Although, it’s more of a breath of relief than anything because despite the selfishness... Klaus feels better knowing Ben didn’t leave because he _could_.   
  
“Show off...” He rolled his eyes and slaps himself internally for what he’s about to say.

“But, did he say anything...”

Klaus rolled his eyes. Maybe he shouldn’t because the question is pointless and it’s stupid and-

“-about me?” He tucked a loose bit of hair behind his ear and looked to Vanya. The sickness welling up in his stomach as her face shifted to something- a memory. Klaus deadpanned as she nodded ever so slightly and he felt like everything in him was waiting for that answer. He didn’t guess. He needed something, anything.

”He wanted me to tell you that he was too scared to go to the light, it wasn’t you that made him stay.” Something broke inside of his chest. Even as Vanya smiled sympathetically, he couldn’t stop his chest from clenching at the wound. For a moment he didn’t know what to say, if he should wallow in that pain or say something.

However, it was like a ton of weights had been lifted off of him. Klaus hadn’t trapped Ben away from eternal peace at all- hadn’t trapped him to deal with Klaus’s misery and problems and that was a lot. So Ben must have felt some kind of solitude with him right? He must’ve liked Klaus if he stayed.

The pitiful look Vanya made him confirmed his choice and he smiled as he tried shrugging it off.

”That little _shit-heel._ All these years and I thought it was my fault that he didn’t take his ticket to heaven.” Klaus away and averted his gaze to the window. He knew he wasn’t laughing or smirking anymore, he bets he looks like a right sad show but there’s something stopping him from wrapping his head around it.

He repeats the words ‘that’s fine’ in his head and tries to make that new knowledge into some happy goodbye but it doesn’t work because this wasn’t happy to Klaus. It wasn’t a goodbye either. It was a last minute confession that he supposes was supposed to make him not feel guilty incase he did. And yeah... it made him feel a little clearer that his brother hadn’t stayed with him for seventeen years because of Klaus or he wanted to for that matter.

Ben was gone. He can’t even recall the amount of times Klaus told Ben to leave him alone, he never did and that was what always made him feel somewhat better about whatever it was, because when people say ‘leave me alone’ they never mean it. The one time Klaus didn’t ask, Ben left. He’s never felt more alone in his life. That’s saying something considering his sister was right beside him. He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth but she’s already shaking her head at him.

”Look I’m sorry, but, you should get out cause-“

”Oh no I’m coming with, can’t let you face the unknown alone right?” Ben wouldn’t want that. Klaus doesn’t want that for Vanya either.

Then the back doors were pulled open with a ‘thud’ tearing Klaus’s look of comfort away from his sister, and to Diego and Allison as they slid in.

“Got room for two more?” Vanya’s looking back and forth between the two now with a shell shocked face.

”What about the Commission?” 

”Well. Might as well do some good before we die horribly.”

”Woo! Woo!” Then Fives _terrifying_ smile sends Klaus half way off his seat with a hand over his heart.

”Children ride in the back.” 

“Five you don’t have to-“

”I know. You owe me one sis.” Vanya’s hands that had risen in debate fall to the wheel in defeat and Klaus climb over and falls to the seat with a crash.

”Oh, _Christ._ ” Allison tugs her trenchcoat our firm underneath Klaus and smiles with amusement. Diego’s got that hardcore face that’s look dead set willing _and_ unwilling at the same time. They were going to die after all.

Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. He’s going down with his siblings and in the end... hopefully he’ll see Ben again so he can give him a slap across the head. Then in the comfort of his siblings smiles, the pain eases. It hides away and gives him this moment. 

A screech causes the wholesome moment to be knocked short and Allison, Diego and Klaus slouch down next to each other looking forward with awkward faces. Vanya and Five are smirking though and so Klaus looks over and uses ever bit of will to not laugh.

”If I hear any fat jokes I’m outta here.” Allison huffs and everyone else smirks and Klaus watches Luthers muscles loose the tenseness they were holding. He wishes it was that easy for himself.

The disbelief and surprise fades from Vanya’s face and is replaced with a trinity of gratefulness. She pushes her foot to the peddle with a smile because, they’re all here for once, they’re here together as a family.

_(‘All but one’)_

He wraps an arm around Allison and Diego as the two are having their own emotions reflected on their faces. They looked somewhat afraid of what was to come but they still gave him smiles. Uneasy smiles but smiles. He didn’t want to let go.

* * *

  
Allison was letting out scared yelps as gunfire raged over their heads. Her hands shielding her face and her small finger dug into her ears despite them being protected by... protected by something.

A box? A tractor? Who knew at this point, because she really thought they were going to die and soon those yelps turned into small sobs because she was scared. She was _so_ scared. 

She found herself leaning into Luther, and when he pressed her head into his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her it was as if the cold seemed to drift away and the gunshots threatening their lives were turning into ringing.

She continued to sob because she couldn’t stop, but if she were to die then she’d rather no where else. A head leaned against her own and her eyes peeled open, Klaus had his palms pressed firmly against his ears and Luther had a bulky arm around him too. She held Luther and Klaus’s hand because she did. She needed too and so she kept hidden in Luthers chest with her eyes firmly shut copying both of her brothers.

Her heart paced along with Luthers next to her ear, in tune with the bullets bouncing on the metal of their saviour item. The apocalypse was averted, and they were going to die. She’d suspected it, but never did she think it would be this terrifying. Everything you know and love is a guilt trip.  
  


Except the gunfire stopped. They weren’t dead. Shock waves sent the army flying backwards where they met their deaths with crack skulls or broken backs. Allison peaked up to Luther and Klaus and couldn’t tell if there was a glimmer in hers, or theirs. She pushed herself up as Klaus stared marvelled at Luther and they all breathed a huge sigh of relief. That was until a mirrored shock wave came their way. 

Curse their irony of duplicates.   
  


* * *

  
“Why is there a portrait of Ben?” The stunned silence was cut sharp.

“I knew you’d come sooner or later.” This attention was snapped to Reginald Hargreeves rising out of his chair. Five said the date on the newspaper was April 2nd, a day after the apocalypse, so how is it possible that Reginald was alive? 

“We’re home.” Allison murmured, deadpanned. Ruins. They’d last seen it in complete ruins. That- _That_ wasn’t something to brood over though because right now, could no one else _see_ the elephant in the room?!

”This is not your home.” Allison blinked as if she were hearing incorrectly. Reginald, his monocle, his suit, his hallowed voice...

_”Three more hours.”_

”This is the Umbrella Academy-“ Reginald was alive.

“Incorrect. This is _the Sparrow Academy_.” a group of non-visible teens walked onto the stairs, looking down on them with greedy, braggy posture and Diego whipped out a knife and twisted it between his fingers with anticipation. The rest of the siblings held their ground in a curious, peaceful manner despite the circumstances, the silence dragged out. 

“Dad, Who are these assholes?” Until it didn’t. The knife slipped from Diego’s grasp as Ben stood before them. His hair brushed to the side with a scar going from his nose to the middle of his cheek. Shock laced all the Umbrella Academy’s faces as it hit them, what the hell happened to their timeline? _  
_

_“Shit.”_ All their hearts seemed to quicken as their supposed to be dead brother gave them the bitchiest look he could muster. Yeah, mess with the past and expect nothing from the future they thought.   
  
Klaus stared at emo Ben as a relieved breath escaped his lips. He smiled at Ben with a knowing look in his eyes, the sibling love look, and he really did expect him to do the same despite what he had said to them- or rather Reginald. He got a cold, cringe in return and the hole in Klaus’s chest, swelled because this wasn’t _his_ Ben. Did his Ben even exist now that they went to their present? Klaus wanted to say something to him, but he felt like a stranger to Ben. So he stepped a little closer to Diego as he bit back what was there of a cry. Ben had left. His Ben wasn’t coming back. 

_Everything will be fine my ass Five..._

The silence seemed a lot louder to Klaus in that moment. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So.... Klaus was paying attention but then he wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m trying to post OKAY. Also bear with the grammar or lack of. Also the next chapter is also kind of a starter, to set it all into place. So, yeah. Nothing exciting there.

**News flash.**

Messing with the past alters the future. 

Fascinating right!?

Or, in other words, messing with Reginald alters literally everything. Then again, not much surprise there.

**News flash.**  
  


Seventeen years ago Ben Hargreeves/Number Six died a gruesome death.   
He moved on two days ago. Or, in other words, fifty six years ago in Dallas 1963.   
  
  


**News flash.**  
  


They all left the **Umbrella** Academy seventeen years ago.

So.   
  


Why the _hell_ were there six _bratty_ smug show offs staring down at them like they were posing for some sort of fashion show. Why was their long dead-at peace brother giving them a dumbfounded look like they were expecting them to explain who they are and why they here.

Well. You can’t exactly put ‘This is our academy, but the world ended because our shy, normal sister had moon exploding powers and so we travelled back in time, stopped another apocalypse, and just returned only to figure out our devil of a dad purposely changed the name of this academy after we told him we’re his not-yet-adopted children’ not only is that a mouthful as it is, but that is only a summary of who they bloody are.   
  


So what do you do? Well. That-that is a funny question.

The Umbrella faced off the Sparrow Academy as no words were exchanged. All there was, was a confused group of adults who may or may not be a replica of themselves. Then there was Reginald, he stood behind the original seven with his hands tucked behind his back like he expected something formal and orchestrated to go down while soaking up the tension.

The new Ben, stood in front of them with his hands looped his back, shoulders squared, face blank and back straight in an all too familiar way. It was entirely and completely disturbing.

Five wasn’t even analysing anymore. He was in a cave in his mind that seemed entirely unfamiliar, the walls were laced with perplexity and he realises. He realises that he should’ve saw this coming from the moment they told da- Reginald everything.

“Well, never thought it would happen, but,” Klaus forced out a huff of a laugh. As his siblings merely kept their jaws hanging and eyes glued to these shaded people. “You’ve gone emo, Benerino” Everyone shifted their uncomfortably as Ben, tilted his head and squinted his eyes at Klaus intently.

”Who is that?” Klaus suddenly feels like the wind is being forced out his lungs. His chest seizing in a way where if he spoke again he’d say something along the lines of ‘You, bro’ and he can’t quite get out any humour right now. He wouldn’t want to confuse this Ben either so he says nothing to the contrary.

His thoughts then decide that taking a nice, dark, horrid walk is a good time. He can’t stop himself from thinking that this isn’t Ben at all. This Ben doesn’t remember Klaus. Doesn’t remember any of them. Doesn’t remember all the stupid things they did.

Klaus just shrugs dimly as the only response he can give up and takes a mere step closer to Diego. His hand automatically shoots up to tilt his hat slightly down over his eyes to conceal some of his vulnerability to this other academy.

Diego’s then looking at him. The heat radiating off of him might as well be steam from his ears but it eases the twist in his stomach and Diego’s gives him a soft, quick smile as a...comfort? Acknowledgement? Pity?

Who knows, Diego rarely smiles as it is.

Ben-not-Ben squints at Klaus and Diego with a hard face but blinks away from them and looks to his father with a longing for answers. Although, the bond the two odd men shared left a ‘curiosity’ and ‘disgraced’ feeling for them because how could they let themselves get emotional in front of them? Reginald nodded discretely and approached the Umbrella Academy so that he was inches away from their middle man, Luther.

“I see you stopped the impending doom.”

”What did you do?” Five hissed.   
  
“I did what I was meant to do, except letting history repeat itself would be pointless and so adopted 7 different children from different parts of the world to where I remember you all being born” Diego’s eyebrows drew together.

”How did you know?” 

”Call it a ‘hunch’ if you must.” Bloody journal.

”Why?” Fives last bit of battery is running slim but he kept his eyes trained on Hargreeves without a care if the Sparrow Academy are shooting judgemental and cautious looks or if that pulsing pain in his limbs is entirely distracting. Reginald took a deep breath and Five could just imagine a yellow post it note on Reginald’s forehead saying ‘are you stupid?’.

”Because otherwise history would repeat itself with you causing the apocalypse and of course, I saw what abilities you had and simply wanted to try out others.” Fair enough. Vanya did cause the apocalypse and well apparently there were others like them out there. Still a rude move despite the logic. There was when Five was reminded of the peace he had made with their father in Dallas, the fact that he was right about not adopting them (specifically because of the apocalypse repeating itself with Vanya) and had likely taken the best course of action still made his skin crawl with agitation because they had just had the _biggest_ fight of their lives.

“Then how are we here? If you adopted these certified posers then we would’ve ceased to exist.” The old mans eyes flutter shut for a moment as he shrugs, and Five really wanted a simple answer because he was tired.

He then also realises that all his siblings, except Klaus who was still looking at Ben like he grew wings and a halo, were glowering at him. He gave them all a quick frown before turning his attention back to Reginald. They continued staring at him and Five felt like nails were being dug into temples.

”My best guess would be that you all somehow survived as children.” and Five scoffs. In hell thats the reason, and if it is then.. good for them but Five doesn’t believe it. Too simple. Simple is an uncharted land with Five.

“So, you’re just gonna kick us out?” Luther almost sounds bewildered and the throbbing in Fives head pounds harder. His body ached in a way where it was like his skin was constantly being pushed on and he assumed his limbs were bruised from the roof falling in on him. It was also getting difficult to breathe. Probably a broken something.

”You’re not welcome here.”

”We just saved the world!”

”After you caused the end of it.” Luther scowled with frustration and Vanya placed a hand on his bicep. He deflated but the snarl on his face stayed.

”Yeah and how do you feel about your mission to assassinate the president? You did complete it after all.” and _here we go.  
_

“Does _your_ academy know about that _by the way_?” To think minutes ago they were excited to be going home. Now that Diego’s off, Five doubts that this is going to go well. 

“Number One. Deal with these insignificant fools.”

Confusion coats all their face as everyone fell to a silence, taken aback and thank good they didn’t get into the JFK nonsense.

Then Ben-not-Ben looks at them and Klaus snorts because Reginald was talking to him.

Klaus puts his ‘HELLO’ hand to his mouth to try and conceal himself from the deathly look ‘Number One’ gives him. He tries to control his breathing and then a howling laugh slips through his lips.

He must look crazy or on something right now because he can’t even even tell if, himself, is crying from laughter or just crying hysterically. Diego huffs next to him.

”So Numbers for names eh? You haven’t changed one bit.” A quick scan and Five finds that everyone has amused faces, although they seem more forced and bitter than anything else.

” _Oh_ , I really hope Ben is seeing this.” It makes him feel a little better because Ben would think this is funny or compare it to some crazy book. Klaus just wishes he got to hear the laugh.

He doesn’t remember the last time he heard him laugh. Seventeen years of being high and dying really fly by huh? It was crazy. Because every moment in between being extremely high and well dead from overdosing Ben was there. Telling him not to do that and this when no one else would, and sometimes it held him back for a moment but then of course he was at it again. All these years Klaus has said one thing more than anything else ‘go away’.

The truth is, everyone says that and when they do, it usually means they want you to stay. Ben was might’ve gotten the hint at that who knows if it was why he was always with him or... if he he had no where else to go. From Bens last minute confession, the latter seems so but Klaus wasn’t about to let that as well as everything else settle in now because he did not wanna puke his guts up yet. 

Then he’s unconsciously staring at Number One while his siblings are tapping on about something to do with 1963. Tiki bar? Eh... something like that. He blinks back into focus to see One sharing a nod of charge before One flicks his hair ever so slightly and turns to walk out through Dads bar and no ones paying attention to notice.

”I wasn’t quite sure when in 2019, but I knew you’d come.”

”Oh yeah? And to what? Kick us out?” and Klaus steps to the side away from Diego and follows after Number One, because... gotta introduce right? If anyone noticed, they didn’t seem to care.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hands and tip toed after One.

”So, this some joke to you? They’re thirty and they’re in uniforms!” Until their voices became a whisper, he’ll be back in a second. Closure is all he needs- no. He can’t get that here, not with this rip off.

He can say hi though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This and the next is just setting the stage and I didn’t want one loooong chapter of boredom. So here you have it. More feels coming up. Probs not next chapter but EH  
> Chapters will also gradually get longer
> 
> This is terrible 😞


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agreements are made, and so are introductions- or should I say, an introduction. Pretty decent for what it’s worth. Pretty damn long too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go. 
> 
> One good thing about Emo Ben I that I get to decide how he is and acts, and well... get prepped. Also, this chapter took too long. I wrote it a couple days ago and just... didn’t like it. So I kept changing it and changing it until I realised, SCREW IT.  
> OH. Btw. I hate this one so much but any who..
> 
> AND, no incest. Nada.

There is a twinge of betrayal mixed with hurt as Number One walks away. An ache that can’t be cured. The small nod that worked as a signal going unnoticed by the original Hargreeves because all that matters in that moment is how _similar_ he looks to their Ben but then... how different at the same time.

Klaus was the only one to see Ben as a teen and an adult because apparently, ghosts could age despite them being dead. For the rest of the siblings, the last they _truly_ saw their brother was seventeen years ago. Now here he was, all grown up and shrugging them off like clingy boyfriends and girlfriends.

” _Yeah_... we’re not doing this again.”

” _Luther._ ” Five warns.

”No. You listen to _me,_ Five. Get us out of here.” Five would love too. The briefcase still warm his arms, but he can’t. It’ll only take them back to when they used it. They would’ve already met dad. And with the briefcase having a certain cool down of two days 14 hours exactly, they were stranded. This was it. This was all there was and is.

“Are they like us?” Five sighs and scrubs at his face as if to eradicate himself of this mess. First, Lilas big ol’ surprise of her powers, and now these seven loyal foot stools. 

One of the ‘Sparrows’ had taken a cautious, yet curious, step forward from the rest of the sparrows to get a closer look. She must be a bit out of it to ask such an obvious question. They just appeared in their main living room looking beat up and then the whole conversation about the ‘impending doom’- okay, never mind. Quite cryptic.

“Yeah...” Allison gives the girl a shy and curious smile as the girl tilts her head with a quick flash of realisation in return. There is a deafening snap in the air.

”You’re the Umbrella Academy.” She says at default with a quiet gasp and a sudden switch to a blank face. It almost looks practiced. Allison huffed with amusement because Reginald had told his new prized children about them? The nicest thing he has probably ever done.

The rest of the Sparrow academy crowded in front of her to get a closer look as well as giving Five the benefit of seeing them better too. Bet Allison was getting real deja vu vibes from all this crowding.

There are two girls and three boys. If Five had a cup of coffee, and a lack of injuries, or was just in a decent mood, he would’ve barked irony. No doubt the two blondes like each other too by their closeness. They might as well be hugging at this point. 

One of the girls had blond hair tied back with a ribbon and a slim face with pale skin, the other had tanned skin with short brown hair and a fierce face, two of the boys looked exactly alike and Five would say that they were twins if he knew how this super-powered-babies-born-on-the-same-day-thing worked. They had brown hair and pale freckled skin with unrealistically light blue eyes, another one of the boys had blond hair tied up in a slicked back ponytail with a faded, pale scar on his top lip to his chin, and then the last one... the last one was the one that really made Five squint.

A floating cube? Erm. Well.... er. There’s probably the replacement of Grace right there. A floating green, purple cube that let out quiet whirs in the dim lighting.

Five couldn’t ignore the fact that ‘it’ was up there with the other Sparrows, so... it had to be one of them right? The dreaded possibilities of what possibly happened to this kid if it was one of them were as terrifying as they were fascinating. No way one of the mothers gave birth to a box.

Of course they were all (minus the cube) wearing uniform too, dark red with a similar crest minus the umbrella, plus the Sparrow imprint. They had dark red blouses, jumpers, black ties, and black skirts/trousers. No wonder Bens got the emo hair going. 

As much as this ‘Sparrow Academy’ interested Five, he didn’t exactly care as of the moment. He had to get his bearings before anything else.

“This is not your home,” State the obvious old man. But where did he expect them to go? Hotel tiffanies?

“Leave.” There goes whatever peace treating they had. As well as the now ruined mood of being famous despite never existing, and that’s a rare mood. The dim, yellowish lighting, cold interior and wet concrete smell was enough to already give them the idea, that this was not their home. At least their timeline home had heating.

A clock a ticking down the hallways. 

”Suit yourself,” Diego growled, his voice quiet and his upper lip twitching. “ _Murderer.”_

“Diego.” Allison mumbled with a scold as she yanked his arm back to her side before he could make a swift exit.

He allowed her to hold onto his arm as his more _menacing_ look faded into one of frustration.

“We are not going to get anywhere with him.” His voice is quiet, quieter then a whisper.

Five can barely hear him himself.

Five just groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. It was up to him and the one thing his siblings did **not** have, common sense. Although, he does feel pity, because after all, apparently the years after he left were even worse then the ones where he was there, he believes that, and whatever happened including Bens death... he would be pissed and anxious too.

“You know,” He says with a curl of his lips and a narrow of his eyes. ”For a man who has an entire square block,48 bedrooms, nineteen bedrooms and a great interest in the supernatural...”

Five side eyed the group to back up his point. “A week.”

There should be a questioning tone in there but Five knew the look in Reginalds eyes when he looked to his ‘children’. It was proudness. The thing Five and his siblings used to work so hard to get even if it was what they deserved all along. It was infuriating that these kids are _better_ than them even if they have no way done things no where near comparable to the Umbrella Academy.

Everyone is silent for a tick of the clock of the all too loud clock. Then there was a shift of a look in Reginalds eyes. Something that couldn’t be put into just _a_ word. Reginald wanted to be more proud. Five knew he was a complicated man, always has been, but he always knew that Reginald wanted to be proud. Wanted to have anybody with his name a masterpiece or at least steal the potential for himself.

Reginald wanted to observe, learn and improve.

Or, 

That’s what the old Reginald wanted. Five can see the aggressiveness and softness multiplied in this one. He is already proud. He already has power and knowledge. 

So, that’s why it was a surprise when he said what he did next. Though he did not miss the look of pieces slotting into places in Reginald’s eyes. 

”Considering you indeed just saved the world, one week. Where and what you do then is up to you. Although, if you do much as interfere with my students without my word. I won’t give it a second thought.” Why? Fives throat was too dry to ask. Although, a week will do nicely and then afterwards... he’s too tired for that right now. But, it was too strange.

Uncoordinated.

Five would have to keep an eye out, but he wasn’t complaining.

Their fath- Reginald has just done another good thing, he’s on a smacking roll of two good things (50 year difference) and a million faults.

Five can’t help but be reminded of their little chat.

_(‘Seconds. Not decades’)_

_(‘So much can change in a matter of seconds’)_

That simple piece of advice had saved himself and his family. So, Diego should really knock off the whole President thing. Five gladly threw that off his consciousness after he didn’t have to bury his siblings again, but that was only if he survived himself so Reginalds for the green pass for the president incident. Not that Five ever cared about it really.

Five nodded as respectfully as he could and made the grimace of the ache in his limbs as small as possible as the thought of sleeping, eating and patching himself up perked up the pulsing pain.

”Very well. Now, Sparrows, you are dismissed. Do not let your self-control slip like that _again._ ” There is silence where the rest of the sentence should exist. An ‘or else...’, these people were being manipulated and it was horrifying.

They all turned on their heels and went back up the stairs, not a complaint, not a whisper, one would say they really are brainwashed or even robots because their earlier curiosity just disintegrated. As well as the fact that to think that they would be the ones getting suspicious glances after they just spilled the beans about their so called ‘daddy’ killing the president? Not a single bit of curiosity about that? Or the fact that they just magically appeared in their living room and Reginald just said they saved the world and their getting suspicious looks? Then again... apparently Reginald told them about the Umbrella Academy so, surely they already knew.

Fives throat tickles at that.

“Do they have powers too?”

”I thought it would’ve been obvious, but indeed.” _just clarifying..._

Something more than a tickle twists inside Vanya’s throat, but she swallows the aggressive bile once more because she doesn’t trust her voice. She hasn’t since they got here.

“How many more are out there?” She says as a replacement because she has to say something. She _feels_ like she has to say something.

“Forty three of you were born on the same day.” The knowledge doesn’t take a peaceful approach to each of them.

Allison swallows, “Forty three?”

Reginald doesn’t so much as blink an eye.

”We spent our whole lives thinking we were the only ones, thinking we had a _responsibility._ ”

”Most of you died by abandonment.” and then Five is rubbing a hand to his dirty, sweaty forehead.

“You never told us-“

”I, from another time never told you. Now-“

”What about these kids? Do they know?” Reginald looked so tempted to correct Luther because these ‘kids’ were 30 years old and probably had more braincells than any of them (except Five of course). Which just makes this even more iconic because they’re 30 year olds in school uniforms.

“I believe their knowledge is not your priority.” Luther growls at that.

”They have a right to know!”

Diego places a hand in front of Luthers bulky chest and shushes him without even looking at him.

”Come on now Luther, don’t you see it? He wants these Sparrows to feel unique, special. To give them a reason to not leave this _shithole,_ ” His voice hisses with bitterness and truth, but he’s still not done as his mouth flys open for another remark. Fives sighs internally.

“Just. Like. He. Did. Before” _To us_ , and in all truth yes they were special but they deserve to live the lives they want to. Normal or not. The world apparently has avoided all apocalypses so why can’t they? 

Diego’s finger shoots up to point at Reginald’s chest. Yet, the old man only finds it mildly amusing with the curl of his lips and linked hands.

”I bet you you’re saying something along the lines of ‘the world needs you’ to them eh? But the truth is the world needs to be rid of you” Five shakes his head absently and debates whether or not to go to the infirmary himself. In the end, he can’t himself to despite how much he wants to. 

There’s a silence. Only Diego’s heavy breathing to fill it, and Five hopes that their childish tantrum is done. Then Vanya opens her mouth-

“Do any of them have powers they don’t know about?”

“Are you making them use their powers?”

”Are they doing this for nothing too?” The voices all blurred into one mass ray of pointlessness.

“Let me guess, you’re gonna send them far away when they’re out of use to you” Five would gladly let them go on but he draws the line at the moon.

”Would you shut up for _five_ minutes? Get over yourselves, none of that has even happened now and so will you _finally_ realise that everything is screwed over!” Five gotten into the nack of speeches lately, even if he finds them very... strange to say.

He glares at all of them to make sure they get the point.

Klaus isn’t there.

Well this just got irritating. 

Five sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

”Indeed, so instead of ranting pointlessly to me for your own narcissistic problems like children. I recommend getting out of my sight before I take back my offer for you to stay in _my_ home.” Diego looked furious. Five couldn’t exactly blame him, this was the second time he was getting his ass handed to him by Reginald in a span of.. four days. Five hated to see his brother like that at the tiki bar, and yes, he should’ve said something.

But this time... he should’ve just brought a margarita, because Diego brought this one onto himself.

Then his face deflated. Into something civil “Fine,” Diego sighed and mumbled again “Fine.” as a reminder for himself.

“You heard him, let’s go.” Allison took a deep breath with her eyes fluttering shut before she held onto his arm as he shifted past Reginald with a mocking posture. Luther guided Vanya over as she shot Five a graceful look as in to say ‘thank you’.

“Five, you coming?” She frowned at him nonetheless.

Five forced a smile, ”Give me a minute.” 

”Alright then. Klaus get over here.” No answer came. Huh... Klaus hadn’t said a single thing since his little ‘emo’ statemen-joke. How hadn’t he noticed that?

“Klaus?” Diego’s eyes laid on the empty space his brother had been and he sighs, because honestly, how do you not notice a guy wearing all black, a cow boy hat and the biggest mouth to exist, walk away directly from your side? Allison slips her arm from Diego’s and paces to look around the corners.

“Klaus?!”

“I recommend you find this boy before he interferes with my students lessons, you are to stay in the west wing and further arrangements will be made by tomorrow evening, until then deal with your filthy selves yourself. Good day.”

_Yeah good day to you too asshole..._

“We’re not finished!” Diego does a full body twitch as the quiet thud of a cane echoes. It’s fading, and yet Diego can’t stop himself from homing in on it. The old man is walking away to god knows where to continue making these kids worshippers.

Five groans and breaks the growing temper that had been festering.

”And there goes my minute.” Five's eyes close in frustration with his smirk blinking into an annoyed, exhausted frown.

”Well, what were you going to do in that minute anyway? Kiss his feet and beg him for more time? And where the hell is Klaus?” Luther throws his arms to the side and Five barks out a bitter laugh.

“I,” Five sucks in a sharp breath. “Was going to talk to him because clearly you’ve all made it clear that you can’t have a _single_ civilised conversation without having some ridiculous PTSD moment.”

“None of that was ridiculous!”

“It is if _none_ of it happened.”

“And to think we were getting along,” Allison muses, quietly.

”Alright, alright. I’ll go find Klaus, you guys, sort out Five. You might as well be a dead man walking, bro.”

“I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, well, we’re Team Zero now!” And despite Diego’s turned back, he knows Five is rolling his eyes.

”He left a while ago...” then he turns into the kitchen looking as clean and tidy as ever. Nice to see something familiar.  
•  
•  
•

Now. Where the hell was Klaus? He can’t just waltz out after they were all going to be a better family, and not to forget after they saved the world!   
  
Again.

After they caused it.

Twice. -Basically Vanya’s fault!

Then like bad weather, Diego reminisces. He thought Klaus was over the high stuff...

Apparently not by the way this was going. He couldn’t stop the twist of frustration and disappointment in his chest as his breathing becomes quick and unsteady. Klaus was going to get more than a lecture if he even sees a _stupid_ plastic bag. This was ridiculous. He had to have some faith... yet this was his hard core addict brother (former?). 

Diego stops in his pointless walking. As a feeling of a slap to the face renders him stunned.

Three years...

No car rides. No shitty jokes. No pointless lectures about drugs. Huh. He doesn’t even know anything about Klaus anymore. Suddenly he feels calmer... and tired as the adrenaline wears off. Where was he supposed to start in this shithole anyway? Bar? Probably. Ah, right. Klaus might be getting high or drunk.

”KLAUS!”

His voice echoes throughout the winding corridors and rooms, and Diego begins his limping winding walk. 

* * *

  
  
Klaus swallows nervously as he follows Numero. 1 through all the rooms of the academy. He’d swiped a bottle of.. something from Dads _(is he even their dad anymore?)_ liquor cabinet with shaky fingers on his way. Although, he hasn’t so much as opened it. Why’d he even take it? Instinct? He needed it? Or just to piss dad off? Klaus can’t even bring himself to care because he’s followed One to all the way to the back of the house and he hasn’t said a single thing.

He probably doesn’t even know Klaus is following him! 

This is ridiculous, and dumb, and pointless! Absolutely pointles-

 _‘You’re just gonna confuse the kid!”_ _Okay Ben. Bet your glad your advice is finally biting me in the ass._

Klaus smiles fondly despite the circumstances he had been in then, what had Ben said before?

_’Promise me you can handle this, whatever happens’_

Klaus’s eyes close as the pit of regret slowly begins to pry itself open again. Well, no can do! He’d kept all those weird feelings down up until now and it’s gonna stay that way.

Klaus falters in his stalking for a moment as he stares at Be- Ones disappearing form and he pulls off the cap of the bottle with a cut in his thumb but that’s fine. He wants to not feel like he has to pick whether he is the first to meet this alternative version of his brother or not, he feels like he should. That if this Ben is going to meet anyone it should be Klaus first. 

But this Ben has a _life,_ he shouldn’t have a burden in it because Klaus got selfish. 

“ _Ooh_.. what the hell,” He takes a swig from the bottle and it burns but he’s used to it and flicks the cap behind his back.

 _Thud._ He flinches and eyes One with utter despair but sighs in relief when he doesn’t notice. He looks back down to the tanned bottle. The label says... Vodka. Oops. It _burns_. It is wretched. Maybe it didn’t taste as good if he wasn’t rubbing it in Bens face.

Klaus uses every bit of will he has to turn on his heel and their is _immediately_ a force pulling him backwards. He wonders if somebody put a magnet in this bottle as well as poison.

”You know, I really thought you were gonna follow me the whole way or _at least_ say something for following me. Normal people would at least do that.” There it is. That dreaded feeling. Klaus swallowed down the mouthful with a cough slipping out as well as some quick, probably insulting, quip and takes a deep breath.

Klaus throws on his best shaky smirk, “Ta da!” And lifts his hands for jazz hands while spinning around.

Number One stood in the doorway to the back-outside (bit too big to be considered a garden) with his arms crossed and a calm face.

 _He’s got a resting bitch face._ Is Klaus’s first thought.

The next is that it’s snowing behind him, Klaus can see that much and _god_... he just wants to take one look to see if that statue is there but One is giving him an impatient look despite his.. what one would say, ‘edgy’ look. Not to forget Klaus just silently followed him throughout the entire house.

”Well, what can I say? You seemed a tad... busy.” One word to put it. More like daddy’s bidding. Number One fell to a minor grimace while nodding his head out the door.

”Make it quick.” Klaus had _not_ expected that. Klaus did _not_ want that. Why was he following him again? Oh right, because he looks and is his dead brother who stayed with Klaus for seventeen years and moved on to save the world.

Yeah, jokes on him. 

Klaus was going to reject politely and leave. His hands fell to his sides slowly and he opened his mouth,

”Why, thank you.” Klaus walked up to One and followed him as he walked out into the snow. 

_‘This has to be your dumbest idea yet’_

_(‘Yeah. Probably’)_ He thinks to an old memory but his conscious fails to add the part _‘but there’s nothing you can do about it now, Benny’._

Even in the after-afterlife Ben was still in his head. 

There was no statue. No graves. Nothing. Only a fine layer of snow. These seven children Reginald adopted had all stayed alive, that’s already saying something.   
  
Number One led him under a tree. Dads favourite spot- if his memory of Luther serves him correct- crazy how the two Ones are both Dads observers, loyal sons, and no doubt favourite sons. Klaus stood in front of One as he looped his hands together expectantly and Klaus shivered as the cold wind blew past his hair. He may have a trenchcoat but this little _heel_ had a jumper and blouse.

His throat closed up with lack of speech, and and so he took another swig to push away the awkwardness; Ones face contorted in disgust and wrinkled his nose ever so slightly.

Exactly how Klaus felt.

”You’re not supposed to drink that.” 

”What? Never raided Dads goodies?” He mocked, although the familiarity is ever so comforting.

”What do you want?” Then it’s gone and Klaus taps his fingers against the bottle absently. He could also imagine a ‘dipshit’ at the end of that question too. 

God, why was this so hard? He said ‘I love you’ to his dead boyfriend from the Vietnam war in front of his homophobic uncle for pitsake.

”Ooh you know, might as well introduce myself right?” He puts his hand out and he really hopes One doesn’t notice the slight tremble of it or say anything about it. “Klaus.”

He stares at it for a moment.

”Number One” and his hand is warm (ish. They are in the snow after all) and ruff. Not dead. Not corporeal. Alive. Jesus. _Stay on task._ He lets go.

”No name huh?”

”That is my name, what about you?” Klaus’s jaw hangs open in confusion.

”Dad told us about you. The Umbrella academy. Time travellers. What was your number? Surely you had one, and I doubt its One.” Oh. Well, isn’t that a surprise. Daddy dearest didn’t leave his children in the dirt for once. Klaus shakes it off.

” _Oh_ , you know, it doesn’t matter anymore” One hums with a taste of ‘I don’t care anymore’ and ‘Interesting...’.

Klaus rolls his shoulders for a ‘See ya later’ but One cuts him off before he even says a word.

”Sorry for your sibling.” His tone holds little to no sympathy but Klaus still reels back in surprise at the words. Of course Reginald remembered that, bet he wrote it in that stupid notebook too. Why was One saying that though? 

”Yeah... he was a a little _shit,_ ” slips out with a small chuckle and Klaus looks to the snow as One looks to the oak tree, oblivious.

” _But,_ he was great, me and him, the Klaus support group and all that fungle,” Klaus waved his hand with a shake of his head.

“He put up with a _lot_ of crap.” 

Klaus shut his mouth from the next sentence his tongue was just dying to roll out. One wasn’t even listening, and neither was anyone else- no point in saying it now.

He could just imagine Ben sitting down nearby silently listening and then calling him a big sap for that much. Klaus clears his throat in the silence and throws up a jolly grin.

”How about you? How’s life with dear old _papa_?”   
  
“We help people with our abilities and he leads us, helps us.” ‘Helps us’. Klaus feels dizzy all of a sudden because if Reginald was good at one thing, it was using the wrong words. Take the Mausoleum for example. To help him get over his fear of the dead. He doesn’t even want to know what’s happening to these guys.

”Be careful,” he said, “You might die”

Klaus smiled into his bottle as he takes another swig of the toxic beverage. One looks at him then, with a narrow of the eyes. They are dark, stern pits of toughness and curiosity.

”Listen here,” He leans in so close, Klaus could breathe in the frosty air coming from his mouth.

”Piss off, and be lucky that _you’re_ even still alive.” One snarls.

Well ouch. Klaus doesn’t even know how he feels about that. But _damn_ , was he touchy.

Then there was a snicker. Apparently his by the way One glowered at him.   
  
“Yeah... no offence One-Oh but you need to chill, drink a little. Also, I highly recommend not saying _that_ to Five. He gets... ragey.” He will probably kill all of you. Or show you he could. 

The scowl on One was priceless. Why was he so unnecessarily aggressive? Yet Klaus was failing to keep the ~~fond~~ amused smirk off of his face.  
  
“You have no _idea_ of the things we’ve done and do, _we_ face our problems head on,” One nudged the bottle in Klaus’s hand. ”So, stay out of _my_ way, asshole.” with that, One trudged away with clenched fists at his side to... somewhere. Klaus wasn’t looking at him, merely the bottle in his hands with raised eyebrows. Alright, no jokes then. No pissing him off. But..

One had wanted to say more, he knew that much by the rush of his... dramatic speech. Probably Reginald’s job for him. One had already figured out one of Klaus’s weaknesses and to be honest, he didn’t want him to figure out the rest.

At same time he did. He wanted to piss off ‘One’ and even... become friends with him. This wasn’t Ben though.

It wasn’t.

His Ben was reading some lovey dubey book in la-la land. Probably shaking his head at him with a smug tut-tut-tut.   
  
Klaus looked into his bottle for another swig and there he was, a disappointed face. Klaus tries to shake away the looming expectations but his hand disobeys as it drops to his side. It’s disgusting anyway.

He didn’t have a reason to stay sober anymore. With Ben gone and another seven super-miracle adults, he’ll be hidden and no one would even notice. After all, the only people who really take him seriously are Allison and Vanya. Those two are jewels. He’d fallen off the wagon already after his, Vanya and Allison’s ~~and Bens~~ drunken dance party and he had no reason to get back on but... he was still tipsy now and he hasn’t seen any ghosts so no need to drink anything yet. 

Now it sounded like drinking was a chore to him. Which it was not.

He was thinking, Klaus realised. He could actually think. No distant _irritating_ whispers, no harsh screams that made him claw at his head, no judging, it was quiet.

He hated it.

The peace in the silence was soothing though, but it was lonely. And... it let him _think._  
  
It let him remember. Remember Dave. Remember Ben. Remember everything. He couldn’t let that happen.

Klaus turned on his heel with a scrape echoing as heel met snow. He chucked the bottle to the side with little remorse and didn’t bother to see if it would make the snow a sickly colour or if it broke against something other than snow, he also didn’t wait to step inside the doorframe as he slammed the door shut and a shiver ran down his spine. 

” _Christ..._ ” He rubbed his palms on his biceps as his feet unconsciously dragged him away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate this chapter.
> 
> Edit: I still hate it


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more or less me experimenting with different methods so yeah.
> 
> lil oneshot coming soon to make it up to you. Might be out before this...? I WAS TODAYS YEARS OLD WHEN I FINALLY READ THE ‘DELETES AFTER A MONTH’ 5K WORDS. DAMN ITTTTTT oh well lucky I started another one, and another one. what do I do to myself?
> 
> UPDATE: this is so late because I’ve been dealing with a lot this week... I’m gonna get back on track tho, also this chapter was just pain 
> 
> Thank you for all though comments and kudos! There so heartwarming and gives me motivation to keep going with this! I luv you guys.

Warm.

Why wasn’t he cold?   
  
It was snowing after all.

No- he was in Dallas right?

No. They weren’t in Dallas anymore. In _fact,_ where was he?

A small groan escaped his all too dry lips and white seared into his closed eyelids as Klaus slung his limp body over so he was face down in something lovingly soft. The dull pounding in the back of his skull made him bite down on his bottom lip as he remembered what even woke him up in the first place.

”Klaus.” 

His shoulders jittered at the sudden intrusion in the silence and he jerked his body to the side and leaned on his elbow lazily as a blur of brown and black rested against the doorframe..? 

His heart _may_ have skipped a beat.

”...Ben.” He gasped.

”Close.” Klaus squinted and stared at the intrusion while trying to keep the pang of disappointment at bay.

_Bens gone, remember?_

He could recognise that hair and disapproving grimace anywhere. Including this eerie white room of doom.

He blinked away the remaining bleariness and sighed as he twisted his fingers in the white blanket he found himself trapped in.

”Diego, how nice of you to spend some quality time with your dear brother o’yours.” he drawled out, not happy with the way his voice croaked.

Diego raised his eyebrows with a slight curl of his lips, no doubt at his hungover suffering. “You mean the brother that looks like shit?”   
  
Klaus bobbed his head side-to-side with a ‘so, so’ pout. Diego’s shit jokes were getting out of control and- have no right to be considered jokes.

”That’s called a hangover by the way-“

Klaus hissed at the irritating way this conversation was going. So he wasn’t in the best of moods but so it’s at the moment. ”I know, I know, I know!” 

The ‘irritating’ conversation shut off as abruptly as snapping fingers, as well as any hope for any kind of talk and Diego shuffled his way over the blanket to sit by Klaus’s head. The intruder hung his legs off the bed and leaned back into his hands as he looked to wooden planked floor with a far away look.

A painful silence fell over the two except for the thudding echoing around his skull like a game of tennis. Klaus continued to stare at his tangled fingers in the blank fabric. Maybe his brother would take the hint for once in his life.

The silence was ever so lulling and Diego was currently sapping that up with delayed, sugarcoated replacement of the inevitable. Klaus could see it in his face and could sense it in the air.   
  
He was going to get grief for Ben. Or, _about_ Ben.

And so he should. Typically, the fact that your medium brother kept your dead brothers presence a secret for seventeen years (take away three for Dallas) isn’t one to pass by lightly or quietly.

Some part of Klaus in his currently unstable part of his mind, hated himself for that. What he did to Ben. It was cruel. It’s no excuse that he was drunk when Five asked, or that everyone was silent when they were at the tiki bar with Reginald or when- it was _cruel_. Ben out of everyone didn’t deserve that.

Klaus tore his eyes away from the awkward look in Diego’s eyes as the man clearly had something to say but wouldn’t say it. They could both play the pity game.   
  
Didn’t Diego tell Ben to stay in his body?   
  
Klaus pouted his lips while pulling the most innocent look possible from experience. As the other cleared his throat, Klaus swallowed down the smug smirk gracing his face (that had just magically appeared there) and eyed the knife wielder curiously.

Diego’s eyes met his and the smugness dissipated at the hidden anger staring at him like he’d killed someone- which, wasn’t exactly so far off. Klaus’s throat closed up and his breathing came a little more uncomfortably then it should be. Diego has never looked at him like that whereas... everyone else did.

Like he was a disappointment.

”Five wants to have a meeting in the kitchen,” Diego sighed and stood up to pull Klaus into a sitting position by his shoulders. “No doubt about these Sparrow bitches.”

Klaus pulled a small, strained smile. ”Don’t forget ‘daddy.”

”Fortunately, we’re all supposed to be avoiding each other otherwise I would’ve found him and knocked his teeth so far down his throat he would’ve _choked._ ”   
  
“Well, that-that’s just _nasty,_ Dee.“

Diegos face swelled up in disgust and Klaus chuckled lightly. It almost made it feel like _home_. Almost.

The two sat in brief silence that would’ve stretched out if not for Diego’s independent hum as if to make an agreement to himself. Which was very much true.

In all honesty, Diego wasn’t exactly on terms of having a laugh with his brother about their shitty or not-so-shitty times of the 1960’s, because after Vanya said _Ben_ saved her. When _Ben_ had possessed Klaus.

Well.

Klaus lied. Simple as that. He always lies.

He lied about getting sober far too many times.

He lied about staying into Diego’s apartment until he came back.

He lied about rehab.

Now, was different. He had kept a sibling away from them that had left them mourning in both the 1960’s and maybe even the last 14 years if Ben had even been around that long. Of course there were obstacles, but he could’ve just popped up in the gym one day and said ‘Hey! I see Ben’. Maybe not like that but...

In the end, Vanya blew up the world twice. She was forgiven. Klaus could be too.

”That was a shitty move by the way.” He blurted. Diego turned his head to see Klaus’s mouth parted open, lost for words. That’s a first.

”Yeah. Yeah, I know” He replied with a sigh drawling at the end.

”Was he _really_ there the entire time? Or- just a while? Why didn’t you tell us? Because you wanted him for _yourself_? Or-“ Klaus slung to his feet and put his hands in front of Diego’s face and the stink of booze raided his nose. Of course. Diego grimaced and groaned, he did wonder if his brother started sober at all in their years apart.  
  
“Woah! Woah! Woah! Slow down... I’m not a sadist. I was just drunk okay? With the whole Dave thing and...” Diego didn’t miss the flash of pain across his face before it was shaken away. Yet, he didn’t want to bring it up in this situation. He didn’t even know who Dave was.

”I was just _really_ drunk okay? I wouldn’t do that, not to Ben.” Diego nodded before sighing. He believed him, because that was the first thing he’d noticed about him when they reunited but he’d caught Klaus in too many lies before. This one... was defensive. Diego didn’t have the patience to figure out every piece of the puzzle... he trusted Klaus anyway. Mostly.  
  
“Wa-was he alone?” Diego snarled at his ignorant stutter and ignored the soft turn of his brothers face.

”No, I-“ He was alone wasn’t he? Ben only had a drug addict junkie for company and most the time he barely got any acknowledgement let alone respectful acknowledgement...  
  
Oh.

Ben was lonely.

Oh _god_.

” _No_. We were tied to the hip and all that cheese.” He lied through his teeth. Diego didn’t seem to catch on and instead hummed letting the subject drop. Him and Ben had been close. Closer than most and as long as he had someone, that was okay.

In the present, he was alone and had a conversation going on with Klaus. He could catch up and get to know the brother he’d drifted from.  
  
“Heard you started a cult, wasn’t too surprised.” 

”It’s not a _cult_ \- and it was entirely on accident.”   
  
“You don’t start a cult on accident, dingus.”

”Ey, ey, ey! I’ll let you know that I was sober. Very much sober.” Diego felt a twist of untrust and proudness get stuck in his throat despite Klaus’s obvious deflection. 

“Oh, yeah?” Klaus hummed with his head high. 

“Alright then, I’ll bite. How long?”

“Three years and then fell off the gracious wagon about a day or two ago. No heavy stuff., just the classy.” He seemed proud of himself as well as sorrow by the way his eyes drooped. Diego was unbelievably tempted to ask why he let his hard work go but the words wouldn’t get out his lips. Another time.

So Klaus spent three years in the 1960’s? Diego wonders how he kept sane but he did have Ben, a mansion and a cult. Diego had needles and bacon and was already losing his mind after around a year.

“What about you _oh_ ’ nuthouse escapee? Did you kick anyone in the balls?”

”Tried to save the president, you know how that ended.” Klaus did and didn’t since no one had told him. The president had gotten assassinated, clearly Diego failed his mission. That and that doomsday was a nuclear war and boom, that’s all Klaus knows. Oh! And that Vanya did it again because some weird people thought she was like... a Russian spy.

All in all,

Klaus knew jack.

“We should get going.” Klaus nodded in agreement but neither made a move to leave except Klaus moving to fall on the floor and lean against the bedside Diego’s legs.

”Yeah.... so is papa letting us eat with the birdies? Cause’ I’m starving and we are the _guests_.” 

Diego huffed. “He wants us to stay as far away as possible. Says he’ll kick us out if we do anything to interfere with their _training._ I say we get kicked out,” Well, luckily he wasn’t there when he talked to Other Ben- oh. OH.

Klaus paled and chewed the inside of his cheek. One wouldn’t snitch right? He doesn’t seem like that much of a daddies boy...

”You good?”

”Fine, fine. Fine...”

”What did you do, Klaus?” Diego’s voice was light and tired and it was so tempting to lie but this was the day of revelations! Why break the chain now?

”I just had a _tiny_ chat with that emo weirdo. Like the smallest. He won’t even remember by time papa says _Number One!”_ The other briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath but it wasn’t that same frustration he had whenever Klaus showed up high.   
  
Diego was okay with this.

“Alright. Just don’t tell anyone else” Klaus raised an eyebrow.

”You really want outs huh?”

”This place is a means to an end and a lab, and Dads also alive.” Klaus snorted into his hand before putting his hands on the bed behind him and heaved himself up onto somewhat shaky feet while extending a hand to his brother who accepted graciously.

“Thanks...” The sudden weight pressed against Klaus sent him stumbling to gain balance and as he got his footing back he wrapped an arm under Diego’s tense shoulders.   
  
“You looked around the whole house with a pair of legs like _those?“_ Klaus remembered the image of his brother being trapped under the tractor calling for help. That leg should be broken but was now walking across the room to the best of Diego’s stubbornness.

”I mean, I had a guess you’d be in one of the rooms. Usually where you do you. Just thirty minutes later and I find you passed out like a baby.” His tone held no spite.

Klaus shoved open the door with his free hand and held it with his foot as he manuvered Diego out with his shoulder.

”Ya know,” he says, kicking the door shut behind him as Diego limps his way forward into the familiar hallway. “I don’t even remember getting here.” 

Its- not entirely a lie. He remembers talking to the bird brain version of Ben and getting shunned off, then walking off and then here he was, in one of the bedrooms.   
  
Diego followed the mediums gaze to hallway leading down to the other bedrooms in this side of the house. Then watched realisation wash over as his mouth formed a small ‘o’. Diego could only stare and shrug to give his brother any sort of confirmation.

”That’s- just _sad._ ” Klaus croaked, not even bothering to hide it. There was _no_ point.  
  
Finding your drunken self in your dead brothers old bedroom is sad. Diego couldn’t agree more. 

He tugged on Klaus’s torso to pull his eyes away.

”Come on,” 

He didn’t resist.

***

The room drifted to a silence as soon as Klaus dragged Diego’s crooked figure through the doorway. Hollow looks of just the typical cold shoulder thrown his way.

”I’m betting on Vanya, and I’m just saying last time, I _called_ it.” Diego raised his eyebrows and stripped himself away from Klaus as he fell into an open chair with a relieved sigh.

His siblings all occupied the seats (except Five who was standing at the front with a cup of - coffee?- snug in his hands). He was also the only other one sparing Klaus mercy, alongside Diego and Vanya who didn’t specifically seem to care about Klaus’s presence.

”Klaus,” Luther greeted, in that Luther tone that was reserved specifically for siblings he gave a damn about which was now leaving a soft churned feel in Klaus’ stomach. 

Allison looked up from staring at her linked hands that had been did fidgeting and shyly stared at Klaus.

The hurt in her eyes was evident but she threw him a pity smile anyways, leaving a shy comfort. The hurt didn’t seem directed at him. It was more like a feeling she couldn’t rid off her face.

No one was angry about Ben then? He could work with that.

Klaus hopped himself onto the table end in between Allison and Vanya, and crossed his legs with his palms resting on his knees.

“For the record, we’re all in the same place and same time, so that’s an improvement.”

” _Improvement_?” Luther laughed with slight hysteria. He was surely about to lose his _shit already._ “This is even worse, we’re stuck with dad,”

...

”This _academy_ ,”

”Ben is a _prick_ ,” the irony.

”And apparently we don’t exist! Everything’s going _great._ ”

”I don’t think you see the benefits to this, Luther- and we do exist, just not here.” 

“There are _no_ benefits!” Five’s cup hit the table with some of the black liquid swirling out- Klaus isn’t even sure how he got that- Dad hated coffee last he checked. Which was what? A couple years ago and never?

“Yeah I’m gonna have to agree with big boy on this, the only benefit I see is the shelter over our heads.” Five did a stone cold roll of the eyes as Diego propped his feet on the day. Giving everyone an ugly voice and whiff of the mud and snow. The only reaction was Vanya leaning back in her seat away with a sigh.

“You morons are all too blind to see it but this academy, has powers, they’re just like us, the more of us there is... the better _at least_ until I find a way for us to get back.” Vanya’ eyebrows drew together and her nose twitched.

“Get back?” Allison’s head dashed up.

”To our timeline, yes.”

”I don’t get it.” Vanya mumbled faintly.

“We can all work together-“

”Okay but what for?” The discomfort on her face was the thing Klaus had always dreaded about Vanya. Every word she had ever said had been muted, toned down, hesitant. As kids, Klaus used feel the same but could never stick up for himself the way she did because he had no proof. To his siblings, he was the loudmouth one. Not the one who was left to scream into the darkness and not the one to forever be misunderstood. The funny junkie.

Things had changed for her though. She was confident. She was heard. Klaus was...

If someone had asked three days ago how Klaus was doing in his life he would’ve said decent, if someone asked now he wasn’t so sure. 

“It’s just better to have two groups of aliens, so there might not be another seven idiots for now.” Another seven. Not exactly the right words but....

”Another apocalypse? This time we should just all get really wasted so that Vanya doesn’t blow stuff up and... that’s it.” He frowned to himself. “So what we’re trapped here?”

”Pretty much.” Five sighed and shrugged.

”Can’t we like use that suitcase thingy to get back to our time?” The time traveller shot him a glare that screamed ‘idiot’.

”Well what about Herb?” _Herb_? As in like, _herbs_? Now they’re fighting they’re enemies with garlic? They’ve really stooped low.

”I have no idea. I’d say we try to get in contact with him but he don’t have his number, Diego.” Diego grinned, a shit eaters grin. His hand dug in his right pocket and came out with a scrunched up note in between his thumb and index. They all stared expectantly.

Except Five.

“Guess your lady friend was worth while, despite her trying to kill all of us.” He snatched it from Diego’s fingers and flattened it out on the table reading the numbers to himself. Five couldn’t see the grimace that stretched across Diego’s face.

”How does that work exactly?”

”How does what work, Luther?”

”You said the commission watches over all time, how do you have-“ Ooh. The commission. So, Herb as in the commission guy? The tiny guy Diego’s best buds with, he knew he recognised the name.

”Don’t even try.”

”I could get it...” Luther mumbled.

“I really don’t think you would.” Five pointed to the note. “Where’s the nearest phone?”

”It should be down the hall by the stairs, Vanya kept her head high and voice steady. Did he mention how proud of her he was? I mean... she didn’t blow up the world the second time! “What’s Herb going to do?”

Five jumped across the room with note in hand. “Hopefully tell us we’re all not gonna die in a disastrous way and then give us a way to fix this mess.” Five blinked out in a way of blue scolding light and all their eyes turned to each other in an awkward silence. Until, Five reappeared standing over Klaus’s shoulder, or more accurately, below.

”Does anyone have a quarter?”

The sound of cloth being rummaged through echoed.

”Nope.”

”No.”

”No.”

“Sorry Five...”

“I have tissue.” Allison raised her eyebrow with a quirk of her lips and shook her head softly at the squiffy paper in his palm.

”Luther worked for Jack Ruby, Klaus had a cult and neither of you have a penny? I’m going to go out and get some stuff then. Hopefully a single phone.” 

“I thought you didn’t have anything-“

”I don’t. Use your brain, Luther.” Number Ones face fell black before scrunching together.

”You can’t just go around stealing things!”

“Can I come? I’m itching for a taco. Ohhh I’m in the mood for some spice.”

” _Klaus_.”

”What?” Diego cleared his throat and turned back over to Luther and Five as they all listened intently.

”Yeah, big boy over here has a point.”

”Says the guy who got thrown into a nuthouse because he tried to save the president which ends the world.”

”Well I didn’t kill the twelve board of directors to only get a briefcase with a 90 minute deadline!”

“ _What_?” They all snapped their heads to Five.

”If you all could even meet a _single_ deadline then _maybe_ , this wouldn’t of been a problem.” Klaus gasped and held a hand over his heart.

”I was there!”

”Yeah, numbnuts. I noticed.”

“Five, who did you kill?” The one in particular ignored the question. He wasn’t going to get away with this. Klaus couldn’t see his victims yet but he sure would do.

”I’ll make toast. Vanya?” Allison pushed her chair back harshly as she rose to the task, clearly wanting to escape this gibberish and ignorance.

”Oh. Uh...” Vanya faltered from the unsureness crawling onto her face from the scene but gingerly stood up with her, “Sure.”

Allison took her wrist and lightly pulled her along to the kitchen- fridge area place. Klaus would be amazed if they had anything other than oatmeal in here, they don’t seem like bread types of people. Either way, Klaus’s stomach was swallowing itself whole. The last he ate was... when he was drunk, okay.

Luther chewed his cheek with emotional constipation written all over his face. He didn’t look to Klaus, just kept his eyes on Five and Diego as they insulted each other. It was truly pitiful considering one vigilante is sitting in a chair looking up to a murderous thirteen year old.

”-the Commission _isn’t_ a problem anymore, Herbs the temporary director and he’s not going to send any armadas after us anytime soon, in case your brain switched off at some point.”

As Diego and Five squabbled over some homicidal business- that Klaus quite frankly, was not surprised at, he couldn’t help but look to Luther. He looked always with himself, twiddling his thumbs and chewing his cheek.

Klaus loved Luther despite many things and he forgave him because that’s the kind of things he does. Although, him wrapping his arms around him and Allison in a ray of bullets had touched him undeniably so, Luther still locked up their sister and left Klaus to die-but that part doesn’t matter.

”Hey Luthy, how was working with Jack Ruby?” If the news had never said it, he would’ve never believed it but Klaus could say, round of applause to Luther.

”Oh, erm.. yeah. Yeah, it was good.”

”Come on, where are those juicy details!”

”Uh..He was like a father to me and I.... well, I blew it.” Luther huffed.

”Oh yeah? What happened, big guy?”

”Eh... it was nothing,” Klaus whistled in encouragement. Luthers constant tapping of his foot eventually giving way, he had never talked about Jack Ruby to anybody. Not even Jack Ruby. It should be Allison, she would understand that he had some _minor_ daddy issues. Or Five, or Vanya, not Klaus. He didn’t exactly fit the equation.

”Luuuther,” He drawled out. “Come on! I’d get it!” Allison and Vanya stared at him with a raised eyebrow and curious look. Luther gulped at the looks.

”Didn’t you lose a fight?”

” _What!?_ **”** Klaus’s hands slammed the table and Allison blinked back in bewilderment.

”And _when_ did you get overthrown by god herself?” Herself? The things his brother comes up with...

Luther squirmed in his seat, his holding onto the edge of the table as if it were to offer some kind of emotional support. Klaus knew nothing about anyone in his family except Allison and Diego, he would say _and_ Vanya but... well, he would have to remember it wouldn’t he? Being drunk comes with memory problems. He does know she got it on with that blonde chick though. Klaus always knew she had the inner emotion.

Or,

Leonard had scarred her of men for eternity.

Luther losing a fight in the 1960’s though? Luther losing a fight to anyone?

”I uh....” Luther pouted and shrugged the tension off, a gesture Klaus did all too well himself. “I,” he fake coughed into his hand. “I let it happen.”

The toaster dinged.

”Oh yeah. Hey Luther, why did you let yourself get bea-“

”Vanya.” he warned dismissively but softly.

Klaus could see he the fluster of his cheeks and pink tone to his ears. It was terribly disturbing, as well as terribly hysterical that his ape of a brother let himself get beaten to a pulp. The purple under Luthers eye seemed ever so much more evident in the dim, yellow setting and Klaus couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t from Lily-Lucy-Layla- _whatever_.

He hadn’t even noticed Luthers black eye before. It was one of the things that barely made any little piece of sense to Klaus: Luther could only punch strong sometimes, and that was it? He could be bruised, he could get hurt but that was... it? It’s a yarn he’s not willing to untangle.

Nobody spoke again.

They were all immediately different as soon as they arrived in 2019 again. Diego had came to Klaus, out of _everyone_ and offered support, Luther was quieter, and Vanya and Allison were more reserved. Five was Five.

No matter what people say, Klaus Hargreeves was very observant- especially when he wasn’t hungover but tomato tomahto. He just hoped no one was feeling down like he was because he felt pretty damn shitty. Surprisingly, Allison was holding up pretty good considering she lost her life, he friends, her husband and child in a matter of minutes.

Claire. Klaus never met her. Couldn’t. He had little to no money and he couldn’t buy socks let alone a plane to Hollywood. Ben had been angry saying that he could get his life together and meet the niece he himself never could.

* * *

_”Klaus.”_

_”Urghh...what Benoh?”_

_”Its Allison.” Ben pointed down to the magazine with his sisters elegant features and silver dress covering it. Klaus blew a raspberry and holted to a stop next to his brother._

_”Oh, how’s she nowadays? Last we read was like two- no three months ago right? Oh! Did she get a reward for that badass teacher criminal role?”_

_”What? No she already got that. Klaus, she’s...” The bizarre emotion in the ghosts eyes and tremor of his voice had Klaus snatching the paper from the basket._

_”Oh.” He breathed._

_”Shes pregnant.” Klaus stared at his brother, the sadness dawning Bens face ever so heartbreaking. The raw look in his eyes should be considered to be new but Klaus has seen it whenever they go by particular places: restaurants, libraries, schools.  
_

_“Benny?” He hummed quietly in response._

_”It’s a girl.” They both smiled at each other in the harsh wind_.

* * *

Klaus got high soon after. He can’t say he doesn’t regret meeting Claire before it was too late. There’s regret every time he imagines her and maybe, _maybe_ she stills out there but...

Right now though, where there was no Claire, his head pounded even in the silence, his fingers were itching to down something and then back to the _silence_. The silence is probably why Klaus hasn’t drunk the entire mansion. It’s not that he doesn’t want to, because he really does, but he can’t.

Even the thought of drinking or smoking is automatically dismissed and his lips are just aching for the feel of blunt paper and his lungs smoke. He just can’t do it. Why can’t he? 

Because Ben would be disappointed? Well, shit brains, Ben doesn’t and never has existed. He doesn’t get a say in every move of Klaus’s live anymore. He can take a piss in _peace_.

_**Ding!** _

”There’s no butter.”

A plate of four pieces of toast was thrust in between Klaus and Diego as they both shared a look that was unreadable both ways. Just a look that said ‘ _brother_ ’. It was a wash over overwhelming emotion that ran over him then, it nearly knocked the breath out of him and he forced his eyes away from Diego and down to the toast as he grabbed two in his hands.

“Where’s the luxury...” he mumbled to himself. 

Vanya flopped back in her chair with a sigh and Allison shifted awkwardly behind her seat as Luther stared at the toast like a hawk to its prey. There’s a reason he hasn’t been made any yet. That was going to be a problem.

Klaus shakily unfolded his legs and slid off the table onto his feet with food in hand.

”Guess... I’ll see you guys later, huh? How about a family board game? A good old get together? Sounds fun.”

”Where are you going?” He knows Allison’s saying it so she just knows more than suspicion of...

”Probably to take a nap.”

***  
  


He might as well be sleeping.

The library was pretty dull. A void of pure, utter boringness to him. That and he wasn’t a very good reader, at all.

He never paid attention to classes when they were younger, being the distracted ‘ _I don’t see the point and I can’t be bothered_ ’ kid. He could read other languages pretty good since as long as he can remember. He always just been good that deciphering other languages, maybe it was because of the ghosts. Who knows?

He’d learned to read in his twenty’s. Not very good, but it was better than nothing. Ben was the one to praise for that. Being a eighteen year old kicked out of his own house was hard and Ben would read the book he died with to him whenever he was a bundle of misery on the streets. The last time he did that was... at least a year ago. On their birthday. It was hazy but in the silk of his bed he could remember hearing Ben cite out words. That had been one of the last wholesome times for them.

Klaus, himself, could probably say a good few pages word by word.

He thought, it would be nice. To find that book. Maybe he was just feeling nostalgic.

So here he was. He had nothing else to do at that moment either, so...

The book was old since Ben did die after it was released. He remembered the plot twists and action. It was a murder mystery. Pretty dark but used to keep him interested. He remembered the characters and the words. The name though... it wasn’t coming to him.

Klaus dragged his finger along the books as he walked by the 2002 aisle. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be here. But he doubts anyone else would come to a library at six o’clock if that clock told the truth unless they have a fuelled desire to be bored.

He stops. He walks backwards.

He yanks the book out as if it were a life link and cradles it as he runs his thumb over the title ‘The Little Friend’. Maybe it’s a little silly, but he can imagine Ben a little clearer with this book. After all... there is no proof of his Ben’s existence anymore.

Urgh... now he’s a grown ass adult who can’t live without his walking stick.

Klaus tucked the book under his arm and skipped out of the library.

***

His room had no evidence of it being his. The lack of scribbles on the walls leaving a annoyed sense of unfamiliarity. Just a plain bed and plain wardrobe with plain walls. 

He couldn’t see his own fingers in the darkness of the night and his eyes were too tired to survive artificial lighting. He threw his legs over his windowsill and scrambled his way to sit on the floor of the fire escape with his legs dangling off the edge. It was freezing and the wind whipping against his trench coat wasn’t any good for his headache, but all it left was numb goosebumps. Also, he was still feeling a bit (quite a lot) tipsy.

Klaus took a deep breath before pulling back the front cover as delicately as possible, he wanted to keep this in tact as much as possible.

He was met with a blank page covered in hand scribbled writing. His eyes locked onto one sentence he could actually read.

_**Why didn’t she tell anyone?**  
_

_”Because, no one would believe her and she proved them wrong._ _**”** _

_”But, if I told you I think our brother didn’t hang himself what would you do.”_

_”If you told me?”_

_”No the Germans, of course me.”_

_”Well I would call you on bullshit.”_

_”Do you kiss mom with that mouth, Benster?”_

_”They had footage.”_

He called it a night after about five pages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wait!!!! 👻
> 
> I’d really appreciate it if you guys could comment your thoughts! It’s good inspiration ⚡️


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus is not having fun and Five doesn’t understand normal behaviour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me painfully writing three different chapters for three different stories and wondering how this happened*
> 
> Warning for vomiting.
> 
> It’s pretty gross not gonna lie.

Klaus was not an easy sleeper.

He could be zonked on drugs, or hammered drunk or even ya know... _unconscious,_ but his mind will always find some way to plug in the nightmares and voices. Its starting to get old.

Three decades too old.

Sometimes he saw his childhood, the mausoleum ~~and~~ ~~Ben’s death.~~ Sometimes Dave and his sweet pink lips with a smile that could turn Hell to dust but not later does he see blood drooling down from the lips he’d kill to kiss again. Then the strangest of them all... he sees ghosts. They look torn, they bleed, they get angry, they scream, they repeat.

The worst possible trigger for all of these?

Going through withdrawal or being hungover.

And, _apparently_ being time travelled to 2019 from 1963. No real surprise there.

He’d slept like a baby in all truth. Sure, the bedsheets were ruff and no where near as comfortable as his childhood one but it was good to actually sleep for the first time in what? A day and a half?

What he didn’t see coming, was for his body to chew itself whole and send him reeling for the bathroom down the corridor. He should’ve let it all out down the fire escape.

He crossed his arms over the lid and leant his head against them as he swallowed down any bile just itching to come up. His throat and insides burned, his lips were dry and cut and a disgusting taste strained his throat as his stomach did loops around itself.

It felt just like when Ben possessed him.

He heaved and used what little strength he had to boot the door closed. A small _thrack_ echoing.

His skin tingled and his hair on his arms stood on edge as footsteps approached his door. He enclosed his head in his hands and squeezed his eyes shut, he hoped it wouldn’t be Five. Or Luther. They already had too low standards for a lot of Klaus’s actions and it’s not like he cared... he just didn’t want all this newfound family bonding to not include him.

Diego... he’d get a smack bang _‘I told you’_ from Diego. Classic. No biggie.

” _он убил меня. Моя дочь_!” A woman wailed. Her voice in tongues of Russian that he understood enough to understand her. It didn’t matter what she said though, because she was dead. The dead move on eventually.

Klaus sometimes imagined that everyone else could hear the ghosts. Or maybe just his siblings. It didn’t make sense that blood curdling screams could only be heard by him. Sure, he had powers but he never fully- or slightly understood them at all. It’s not like he has super enhanced hearing or eyesight, he can just hear and see ghosts. Then again, Ben has tentacles in his stomach so.

He coughed, and the burning liquid of all kinds of alcohol spilled right out. He spat into the disgusting swirl of his destruction of sobriety and swayed at the loss of drunkenness. It left an odd relief in his stomach and despite how light headed he felt, he already felt that little bit better.

This is what happens when a hard core drug addict decides to suddenly go sober after three years and then get hammered.

“ _МОЙ РЕБЕНОК_!”

Klaus groaned, annoyance licking the tired sound. The smell of toxic waste immediately assaulted his nose and was evil even to his own sense of smell. His hand loosely hovered up to flap down the flush before flopping back down as the concoction swirled itself away.

Surely, his siblings had to be awake by now. If not then maybe he was just being paranoid or they were ignoring him. Either way, he didn’t want a parade. Maybe one person, Allison or Vanya to ask him how he is or something ( to get rid of this loud lady).

The quiet was still as unusual and weird as it was a couple of hours ago. Ben and his stupid encouragements and witty truths were a dull boomerang that despite how annoying they were... they were oddly missable. At least he would be there.

Klaus fell back against the tiles. It was gross and unhygienic but he hasn’t showered in at least two days anyway, he’ll get around to something tomorrow. He has to get this puke off of him somehow.

He cringed his face up and put a cold hand down his temple as he swiped off some of the sweat. He was clammy and tired but his muscles merely tensed up and refused to move.

He didn’t try again. Worse case scenario, one of his siblings walk in. They can do so, he’s had enough strangers see him in the worse states.

Klaus’s hand creeped up to clench around the set of dog tags circling his neck.

Dave. _David Katz_.

_“This is wrong, Klaus. It’s selfish.”_

_”You’re just gonna confuse the kid!”_

He silently hopes Dave eventually came out as a total gay. If not for himself than to rub it in his uncles homophobic eyes.

———

He did not get woke up by anyone, which was the first surprise.

The second surprise was that he was wound up curled in the empty bath tub. For what it’s worth, whenever his excuse for a body decided to move he’s glad that it was off of the floor.

There was dull ringing in his ears and white seeped through the blinds onto him like magnets. He hissed as the unfamiliar light burned through his skull and used his arms to push him into a sitting position as he then rubbed his eyes. His arms shook with the pressure and he cursed sobriety- again.

He’s been hungover before, and this was practically nothing in comparison. This time though he got the chance to sleep in an actual bed and sleep it off. He would love to do just that but the last two days all he’s had was tuna mould and some toast- he used to not eating of course but he needed a little something after emptying everything. 

He lazily threw his leg over the bath as his stomach protested painfully. He chucked his other leg over with a ‘ _thud_ ’ and slapped himself on the face- once- twice. He kicked himself forward and stumbled until he was face to face with the door and Klaus growled as he punched it once. Was being hungover this hard before?

It must be that old habits die hard.

He shoved himself off the door and collapsed onto the sink. He held his head up by leaning it against the mirror and turned the tap and splashed his face with a half assed try. He peeled his head away and narrowed his eyes at his reflection.

He looked terrible. 

Dark circles under his eyes, his hair a mess like someone brushed it upwards, skin a deathly pale and his lips looked like they’d been cheese grated with water dripping off his chin. As Ben would say ‘ _Another day with you_ ’.

He couldn’t take his eyes away. Was he seeing if it would get better? 

The tiles behind him flashed black and cracks ran through them. Klaus unconsciously reached his ‘HELLO’ hand up and gingerly moved it to the glass. Ice water soaked through his pants and he jumped away wheezing, while hurrying to turn the tap off.

His eyes shot up to the mirror again only to find the tiles glossed over in white and he turned around for safe measures. It was normal... everything was normal. He really was out of it. He was also really hungry.

He didn’t eat most of Allison and Vanya’s prize toasties. Mainly because of the cheese. 

”Tacos, I’m gonna kill for tacos....” He glanced at his reflection again and his hand flew to head, padding at the lack of hat. Panic seeped into his already weird beating heart and he spun drunkenly on his spot. 

He stumbled in relief as he ducked down swiped the hat onto his head. He ran his fingers through his knots, the hat smoothed it down mostly but he still looked that little bit manic. His hand grasped at his dogtags for safe measures. You could call him a semblance of decent now. He was still going to bathe himself to the bone later, he’ll also have to find new clothes somewhere.

Klaus pried the door open and took a deep breath and smoothed down his pants before stepping out.

The whiplash was immediate.

Nostalgias a bitch.

It was all so familiar but not at the same time. The lack of ‘how to kill a person’ stickers was a healthy relief though. It was all kind of a relief, to have trauma wrote away and replaced with complete chances of redemption. There was an odd sense of hurt pulling at his mind as he walked down the corridor, he used to run down these hallways. Ben used to race him, Diego used to chase him, Luther would angrily catch him and Allison used to stomp after him after he’d taken one of her scarves or skirts.

Everything was gone. Wiped away.

Ridding himself of that thought, Klaus slouched over the banister as his feet slowly dragged him down. His eyes even fluttered shut once and he suddenly felt the take of pure sleepiness take over and he _wished_ that he never got off his hungover ass.

“Klaus.”

”Holy _shit_!” He stared at Five with wild eyes as the boy raised an eyebrow.

”What are you doing?”

”Getting something to eat. Why? Are the birdies up?” He tilted his head onto his hand curiously as Five leaned against the banister blocking his way down to the stairs.

”It’s 6am. They’ll go up into the basement first anyway.” How did...?

”Christ, give them a dress and say their fairies and they’ll go along. Anyways, what are _you_ doing, Fivey?” Five shrugged.

”I’m scouting,” Bit strange. Not the ‘scouting’. That was very much Five, but Five telling him that? Guess apocalypse starved Five is desperate.

”Cool. Cool. Cool. I mean more like... why are you...?” He waved his hand at Five and rubbed another over his eyes.

”Why I’m talking to you? Because I can’t have you throwing away what little dignity this family has left.” Ouch. Jump to conclusions then.

”Yeah, avoid the bird bitchies, I get.”

”Actually I need you to be sober.” Oh. Well now this got interesting. Why would Five ‘ _need_ ’ him to get sober? To keep this family dignified? A lot more is going to have to be done if that’s the case, but Klaus wasn’t falling for that excuse.

”First, what _part of me_ screams high and second, can we talk later? I’m _not_ much of a morning person.” Five glared and his nose twitched before he snatched Klaus’s wrist and they were enveloped in blue.

His stomach immediately flipped as he clutched it as he was pushed onto a chair.

” _What is your problem_?” He groaned.

”Things are already screwed up. Just don’t- don’t go to the Sparrows, okay?” Klaus didn’t want to bring up that he already did, Five was already acting strangely nice (if that’s what you would call it) to Klaus and he doesn’t want to blow it by getting his brother angry at something so minor.

Five already looked stressed now that Klaus could see him probably in the light through the kitchen windows. His eyebrows drawn together consistently and a-not-so murderous look in his darkened eyes. The old age part of him was actually starting to show.

”Yes! Yes! Just get me some like pizza or something.”

”You can do that yourself.” Well if he’s gonna disrupt the only time of peace he may have until he’s fully sober then Five could have the decency to do a favour and-and why was Five still here?

“Jeez. Is anyone else getting this pep talk or just lonely old me?”

”They already know.” _Diego told me,_ he doesn’t say. Although, Five must of gathered it from his earlier ramblings since he’s so smart.

When he finally dragged his eyes from the floor he was met with a look in Fives eyes that told another story. Another reason. One that left a softness that left Klaus’s heart banging with happiness and no words to say in his mouth. That’s been an long missed feeling.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be good, _mom_.” Five nodded with an unreadable expression crossing his face. Klaus let the silence drag on despite his hate for it, Five was still here and that meant he had something to say. Klaus has nothing to say to his brother that he hadn’t already threw in the box and locked away.

”I’m taking it you don’t want to eat oats,” Five mumbled, hesitation lacing his voice. “Want to go Griddy’s?”

Quite frankly, no. He’d rather not get pinned into a building with his homicidal old-little brother for company. He wasn’t going to say no though. How could he? He opened his mouth-

”Later; right now you smell of shit.” A whip of blue light and his brother was gone. Leaving Klaus with nothing but a dark room and confused thoughts.

Still the old Five he remembered. The one that always needed the damn last word.

*** 

Screw that little girl on her bike (if she was even real) or any other god.

He had to settle for a glass of water which was quickly downed since oats was too plain and nostalgic, and he wasn’t much of a put together person so whatever was left in the fridge just looked like jumbo to him that he didn’t have the tolerance for.

It was apparently 6-something according to Five- who he was still knocked off his feet by. He always knew Five had some kind of a soft spot but for it to be reserved for him? With no reason (unless...)?

Did hot water effect metal? Pacifically dog tags? Probably not since they had withstood more than bath water (a _war_ ). So as he discarded the rest of his clothing into the bathroom sink he left them on, they were all he had left of _him_ after all.

He lowered his body in, the water expelling any of the earlier chills. Sure, his 1968 bath was great but this? This had a sense of closure in peace especially when everyone else was no risk to disturbing you except a homicidal man-child. 

The current silence, was also probably one of the only bits of true silence he’d ever had. Yet, his fingers tapped an aggravated rhythm onto the sides of the tub that was like nails on chalk to his own ears. Just _relax_. _Relax. Why couldn’t he stop?_

He growled and slid his head under _._

_”You know I’d never forget about you right?” Dave smiled, eyes sincere and gleaming as they did. Blood slipped past the thin gap between his lips until his chest was spasming with chokes as the immortal look in his eyes faded into one of blown black pupils. “I’d never let you die.”  
_

_Klaus stepped away as the beast came closer. “But what about me?”_

_Klaus turned away and his hands unconsciously went to his ears as if to block out the gurgles.  
_

_”Klaus...” Not Dave._

_”Klaus.” Not Dave either._

_”Klaus! Klaus! Klaus!!!” Not anyone._

_” **Klaus**.” Someone. Someone different- and Klaus screamed.  
_

_A hand was thrust against his throat with enough intensity to push him away. Away into water where he didn’t get time to take a breath. With blurry eyes, all he saw was a black silhouette.  
_

He sucked in a breath- or a mouthful of water and his body shot up on instinct to shudder and viciously cough up the water as his hands scrambled at his arms.

Guess that wasn’t as relaxing as it used to be. If it ever was.

Thats also the problem with having a screwed up beyond comprehension brain laced with PTSD and dead people. You get hallucinations sometimes- nightmares while awake. Sometimes they’re real; visions of the dead. Where as others are just nightmares. Nightmares of the worlds most cracked up brain.

Also what was up with how haunted this day has been?

***

Uniform. Uniform. Uniform.

He was not wearing uniform and he was not _going_ to. All he had in that lame wardrobe was uniform.

Surprisingly, the closet in his ‘temporary’ room was actually filled with the Sparrow Academy’s signature uniform. As much as he thinks the purple and red will bring out his eyes, it’s a no.

Somehow, he convinced himself to wear the trousers and plain long sleeved shirt (mainly because he didn’t feel like wearing wet, dirty clothes). Although the sight made him cringe so hard he ended up throwing on his trench coat for a little more fashion. He looked presentable. His tan now showing hid the black bags under his eyes. It made him look less ill. He’d still love to get his hands on that skirt in the wardrobe...

The sun was at the point of rising and with nothing better to do he roamed the halls they were accustomed to. It was relaxing on his nerves definitely but the amount of times he had seen Ben’s face in the multiple paintings left him a little more stretched apart.

Because it wasn’t Ben and never would be. Because Ben was gone forever. Because Ben didn’t have a badass scar. Somehow, that left Klaus pissed off- especially when he saw the photos.

”It’s interesting really.” The jump of Klaus’s shoulders as the only giveaway that Five had caught him off guard as he stared holes at the painting of Sparrow Academy outside in the living room.

”Yeah?”

”Yeah, how much a couple of idiots can mess up the timeline.”

”On my part, that was mostly Luther.” Five hummed despite not knowing with all this blame to Luther came from.

“I’d say a joint effort.”

”Well you know; we’re all assholes.” Five hummed again but this time in agreement. He stared at the painting of the six kids and one cube lined up and supposed they were around sixteen. It was difficult to tell from their eye masks.

It was all a puzzle. One that Five was going to figure out. Even that cube.

”You ready to go?” Klaus blinked and his mouth hung open in a rush of words.

“ _Now_?” 

“Why not.”

”Wha-what about the others? If sure we could take them since you’d probably rather anyon-“

”I left a note.” If Klaus realised that Five had point blank missed the last part then he made no effort to show it- or maybe he didn’t want to.

“Huh...” Klaus frowned, uncertainty covering his face. Five found himself confused; Klaus was never nervous. Even as kids. So what’s the difference now? Unless something changed about him in his time in 1960’s the only other answer was... Five. That left a sickening feeling in his stomach that he immediately hated.

”Do you want to?” Klaus closed his eyes and let out a breathy, edgy chuckle.

”Yeah- yeah of course, Fivey.” Five clutched Klaus’s elbow and tugged on the heavy feeling in his gut. His brother immediately yelped and stumbled against him.

“ _Ooooh_ \- that’s not fun.” He huffed out. 

”Welcome to my world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah.
> 
> The plot starts. 
> 
> Next chapter should be out... tomorrow? The day after? I did write this as one massive chapter but I split it so...
> 
> Follow You To Dust (Shame On You) chapter 2 will be out soon. The first chapters are always the slowest whoops


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!

Klaus stumbled as Five began to walk down the pavement laced with ice and snow. His blouse wasn’t much of a defence against the cold but it wasn’t all too bad. Just cold enough to leave a prickly sensations on his fingers. Klaus was pretty suited for the situation with her long coat and that dumb hat.

“Hey _wait_! Unless you have Mary Poppins pockets I don’t suppose you have- what- _I don’t know_ , money?”

”Never took you for one to be concerned about such things.”

”I’m not, but I don’t really want to get my ass kicked by some pigeons for petty robbery.”

”They’re not a problem and anyway, Diego had twenty dollars.” Five stuffed his hands into his pockets with the bill crumpled under the pressure. Klaus walked next to him with his arms swaying annoyingly.

”Can’t you swap that for change for the phone?”

”I’ll use the change from our embark.”

”Just call it a date old man.” Five sighed. The annoying brother had to be able to summon the dead?

A silence fell on them. It didn’t bother him but his eccentric counterpart seemed to be collapsing ever so slightly with the quiet by his constant change of gaze and fiddling fingers. Five didn’t like it either. It was too familiar and too much.

”It’s strange.” Klaus’s eyes widened at him with a tilted head. “I’ve spent the last week in the 1960’s and this seems alien already.”

Five was opening up to him. Yes. Klaus out of everyone. Maybe he was the last person to get the Five pep-talk but still. _Him_. The comment of how he spent three-four years in the 1960’s was swallowed down like poison- Five already saw him as a self centred junky that couldn’t do anything right.

”That’s probably what happens when you spend forty five years in the end of times right?” That was probably an even worse replacement. When Five shrugged and looked Klaus dead in the eye and stared with a hidden expression- Klaus thought he’d already screwed this shit up already.

However, Five turned back to face the pavement with a gentle and thoughtful face. The white coated buildings and people all too new despite Klaus spending the majority of his entire life on the streets they walked on.

”I guess so.” That was that and Klaus was taking that as a win.

***

Klaus poked and prodded at his pancakes in the syrup while taking small bites as Five sipped his straight black coffee and tapped the plate of his jam donut.

Five felt watched to say the least. The few people in the store was already overpopulated for his taste and it didn’t help that his brother opposite him looked to his side every minute or so and only to look back down in disappointment. Five wondered if he was seeing someone. It could be some dead friend of his. Although, Five doubted that Klaus is the kind of medium to conjure any old ghost.

Five still heard Dolores voice in his head and would often look to find her but only find the empty space where she should be. Maybe... she was in this timeline. Leaving her behind had been a mistake the first time. Then he left her behind a second and made it worse.

At least Klaus and Five had something in common.

”So, crazy weather huh?” Klaus questioned.

“For April, yes.” Five stared at the outside. Snow in April was weird but that could be the normal for this timeline.

”Didn’t know Griddy’s could be so overrated in any timeline.”

”Ending the world twice can do that.”

“Yeah but we also saved it twice.” _That made no sense_. Shut up hovered on his tongue but he swallowed it and replaced it.

”Listen-“

”Five-“ They cut eachother off and Klaus cleared his throat.

”I think this all very romantic and cute but why am I here? I’m not really your taste by the looks of everything.” One second. Two seconds, three- he should probably say something. Probably why he took his brother to Griddy’s at around seven in the morning (his the all these customers even up so early anyway).

Five suddenly felt a unfamiliar feeling swell up. Guilt? It was necessary. It had to be done. It was only mere bribery and Klaus? He’s sure he’ll be fine since he already knows this isn’t a a date.

Five mentally sucked in a deep breath. “When was the last time you conjured someone?”

”Oh-uh-“ He conjured dad before apocalypse one was what Five evidently remembered him saying two weeks ago. It could’ve been years for Klaus though...and well, he had a pretty bold imagination.

Five could recognise the draw of Klaus’s eyebrows and the look of bewilderment anywhere. He twirled strands of damp hair around his fingers as he glazed at Five with a doubtful manner.

”Years/decades... whatever you prefer. Why o’brother mine?” Decades? Five pushed it to the side.

”I need you to conjure someone for me. Her name is the Handler: blond, tall, scar on her cheek and forehead, died around fifty years ago.” His brother stared with a faraway look and his lips pressed into a straight line. “The blonde _woman_ at the cabin!”

”Oh- oh yeah.” Klaus mumbled as he looked down and flicked at the table.

”So can you or can you not? I just need five minutes to speak to her. So can you make her corporal?”

”I can try but don’t get your hopes up shorty.” A far too wide grin spread on the mediums face-like a puppet was pulling the strings of his mouth. This wasn’t some joke.

”Damnit Klaus,” Five leaned over the table and placed his hands firmly on the table in front of Klaus’s awkward form.

“If you’re out of it, get sober. I need you to be useful for just five minutes. You can do it later, now I don’t care; I need to speak to her.” Maybe that was a bit too harsh but it was the truth. Although, as his soft green eyes flicked down in sorrow for only a second as if being intimidated; Five thought maybe he should of been a little more delicate.

A week with a roof over their heads and information under their noses and Five had so many dots to connect. The Handler... she wanted to end the world but her opinion isn’t what mattered. It’s how many times she knew the world will end. First, at the orchestra then in Dallas, but she tried (successfully) killing them at the barn too. So she could let another apocalypse happen back then? Was there another now? If she knew about the Sparrow Academy? Too many questions that would take more than the Handler but that was only the start.

”Yeah... I’ll just need something from her though I guess,” His brother mumbled, eyes downcast with a hidden memory. “but just later okay?”

Five leaned back and sighed. A strange feeling summoned itself inside of his gut; guilt perhaps? He couldn’t imagine making his siblings scared of him. Especially not after decades of trying to save them. Also, why was Klaus lacking his usual self confidence? His snarky remarks and cringy quotes that would make Fives skin itch were at least memorable and made him feel less like the worlds best killer.

He swallowed and stared at Klaus’s distant eyes. “Klaus-“

”Calm your horsey, it’s fine.” Five finally took in his brother for all his trueness. His posture was less... Klaus, and more curled up than anything, his face devoid of the manic look that was always at least visible, he had a thin layer of sweat over his skin and had a pale black highlight around his eyes. His clothes were odd too; too basic (although it’s not like he’s had the chance to go shopping). He didn’t look fine.

Maybe it was because Ben didn’t time travel with them? The mere thought of leaving their brother alone was blindly painful.

”Are _you_ okay?” Five asked. It was a foreign thing for him to say but it’s the least he could do.

”Of course, of course. Yeah...” Klaus smirked tiredly and leaned his head onto one palm, HELLO. Maybe, it was all because Five kept him up early. Something still seemed different. Five hadn’t exchanged basically any words with Klaus since... since their 2019- but he still remembered Klaus and what he’ll always be. He was losing his mind at dinner with Reginald but he was calm. Chill even. This though? Around ten hours into the new timeline and one nap and Klaus was a new mysterious man? Bullshit.

”You seem closeted.” Five pointed out.

”I’m a free gay actually-“

Five scoffed. “Are you okay?” Five tried to ignore the rush of desperation for this conversation to just be over especially as Klaus frowned with a tint of red creeping up his ears. He was embarrassed. What?

justanswerthequestion.justanswerthequestion.

“Jesus _Christ_ , I’m fine.”

”You’re lying.”

”How would you know, Fivearee? It’s been nearly four years and _I_ could be a new man.” Klaus looked surprised by his own bitterness but Five kept his face steady.

Four years? As in... four years of the 1960’s? Is Klaus trying to say that Five doesn’t know him that well anymore (as if 45 years apart wasn’t enough)?

”Why can’t you just get it through your thick skull that I care?”

Klaus scoffed. ”Well, what do you want me to say? I’m already doing what your want me to, just leave it be.” Five didn’t like this. His brother was being serious and so unlike himself that whatever feelings (Fives not too familiar down there) he’s feeling are painfully obvious.

”I don’t know,” Five lowered his voice. The escalating tension leaving with his own confirmation. “I’m sorry.”

Klaus’s mouth dropped open in confusion but Five cut him off. “About Ben...”

The mediums eyes widened in daunting realisation before he quickly blinked off to the side. Five forced himself to keep going. “I’m sorry he didn’t make it through.”

Number Four snapped his head to Five so far it sent a spark down Fives own spine. He frowned in confusion before collapsing in a fit of giggling. Giggling. Giggling?

Here was Klaus in his weird glory. It would’ve been comforting if not for the twist of a sour grimace that came across Klaus’s face. His hand grasped his chin and his fingers covered his mouth as a thin layer of tears laced Klaus’s struck heart eyes. He was still chuckling although... it looked more painful than anything else.

Good going Five. Wonderful brotherly bonding.

”Fivey, Ben is A okay. Probably having a heavenly session with Jenny-Jem-Jill too.” Five narrowed his eyes. No part of that made sense. Who’s the Jem person? How did Klaus know that Ben was ‘okay’?

”You said Ben didn’t make it...”

“Yeah well I say a lot of things- most- most are true but that one...” Klaus shrugged. “That’s on Allison.”

”So your saying Ben was with us, you, in 1963?”

”Yep.” He popped the p. Five could feel his own blood begin to boil but he refused to lose his temper here. For now at least.

”Typical...” Five mumbled because of course it was. Klaus was a hyperactive drug addict (ex or whatever) that had started a cult and kept Ben a secret for the last couple of years (Vanyas book only said Klaus had either refused or failed to conjure him).

But, Ben was there when Five talked about the entire plan to everyone. Spoke his feelings out loud to everyone but him? His heart pangs with undignified guilt and anger for Klaus.

”Is he here now?” The answer was probably in Klaus’s earlier ramble but Five didn’t have the energy to translate that into actual English. Klaus’s eyebrows jumped up in surprise and he scoffed before shoving a piece of waffles from his fork into his mouth and turning his head to the side.

Surprisingly enough, Klaus seemed to ponder over his next words very carefully while he ate.

“Guessing Vanya didn’t tell you anything then.”

”What do you mean?” Klaus swallowed the remaining food and flicked his tongue over his teeth.

”In the hands of some FBI bitches, our little sister lost control, ce? Since me, Diego and Allison didn’t stop her I guess you can use that big brain of yours to put together the pieces.”

It couldn’t of been Luther... it- Ben saved the world? His Ben... saved Vanya and everyone? How was that even possible unless Klaus made him corporal or such. Five sagged and stared absently at Klaus’s mocking face as he scratched at the table. 

No way...

Holy shit. Giddiness and proudness bubbled in his chest and it was such an unfamiliar but welcome sensation that was quickly overpowered with panic.

He swallowed down the bile rising in his throat. ”That didn’t answer my question.”

He really hoped that Klaus didn’t pick up on shakiness of his voice. All he had to do was speak to Ben, thank him and... say hello again- and then maybe, maybe Klaus hiding their brother wouldn’t be such a big deal.

Five notices the second the darkness spreads over Klaus’s face as he shakes his head. That clearly wasn’t a good sign.

”He took his ticket to heaven. At last freedom!” Five could tell he was covering his hurt- or something like that but that didn’t make it better. Klaus shouldn’t have said that, Klaus shouldn’t have lied about Ben and Five should’ve been more... more persistent.

Klaus has always been different than the rest of them. A child amongst adults (oddly ironic) that had to be guided. Fives supposed to be the older brother, the wise one, the smart one.

However, what wise older brother isn’t there for when another dies? When one is left out? When one has a child? When one falls into drugs?

 _‘You weren’t there!_ ’

’Y _ou think I had it easy, Diego? I was **alone** for **forty five** years_.’

So he’s saving his family. He doesn’t regret time travelling to the apocalypse, but he regrets getting trapped there for so long.

Maybe he should try and save each individual from themselves first. Maybe they don’t have enough brain cells alone but together? They’ll border on semi descent.

But Ben-

Five dug into his pocket and slammed down the twenty while he got up and looked down at Klaus. He felt that burning anger and his hand automatically extended to push Klaus’s head down onto the table. He should be lucky Five didn’t grab his hair.

”Ay! Ouch.”

The shop goes dead silent and he knows all eyes are on them. He doesn’t teleport despite how much every part of him screams to, he stomps his way past tables of confused people and through the door. He revels in the cold exhilarating his skin and he walks. He doesn’t need to give the Sparrow Academy a glimpse at what he can do.

He has a part of a plan.

Fix this family enough so they can deal with this. With everything.

Because they don’t know that the past has became the present and that there’s no way they can go back to their normal lives. He knew since the moment they spoke to Reginald.

He’s not starting with Klaus. Not yet. He may do something he’ll regret otherwise and right now he just needed to recollect his thoughts. Something that may descend Klaus back into his fragile addictions of the past. He’s already not looking too good from what Five picked up. What Five didn’t see... was that Klaus then stared hurtfully at him and quizzically at the money. As if the twenty wasn’t imprinted on the front.

Five needed some answers. 

***

”Diego,” Allison rubbed her eyes wearily as she greeted him.

”Allison.” He turned to fully face her from where he was in the corridor. She was in a black vest and her black trousers that she kept on. Diego had, to his utter most secrecy, wore the logo imprinted pyjamas through the night but has torn them off and out back on his clothes as soon as he woke up. They better go and get new clothes soon because not only was Diego beginning to feel like something that would start a pandemic because of these clothes, but also his trousers were ripped where the tractor had fell onto him.

”What are you doing?” Her tone held light amusement but he could see the festering anxiousness contorted in her tired features.

He shrugged. ”Waking up the family, getting up on the job. Saving the world.” 

Allison screwed up her eyebrows and huffed. ”We already saved it-“

”You wait until Herb gives us a call and says Vanyas gonna blow some _shit_ up again.” She shuffled her way next to him.

”Don’t go pointing fingers.” It’s not pointing fingers, it’s just the average. Like the police academy used to say, Once is chance, twos a coincidence and threes a pattern. Except chance is a little off.

”Yeah well, that’s just it sis. I don’t see Luther smashing the world to death anytime soon or Klaus talking it to death.”

”The world is fine!” She whispered, anger slowly building up in her voice. Diego stared and with bitter flick of the wrist- stalked down to Fives room where he wracked his knuckles on the door three times. Allison seemed stubborn in her point though.

”Would you stop rushing around?” She firmly grasped his elbow and Diego refused to shove her off despite every urge.

”Why? The first time we didn’t have enough time and last time we had too much! I’d rather fix everything so _I_ can get out of the shithole.”

”What if there’s nothing wrong? And if you were to open your eyes for two seconds maybe you’d realise that not everything is about you.” He stared harshly down at her. The words of their father echoing in his ears like a chorus caused his to finally shove off her hand.

”Because dad and his slaves aren’t enough?”

”No-“

”The fact that we don’t exist? Or that Lila is gone?”

”What about _Claire_?” His eyes softened at the name. His niece. Allison’s daughter. Right... “If there’s even a small chance that she’s in this timeline then I have to risk it, because I’m scared that if-“ she sucked in a sharp breath and Diego waited. “-if we do this again, then we would’ve changed everything again. There would be no chance of me getting her back.”

Her soft brown eyes peered at him and Diego sharply turned his head away while wracking his fist on the door again. Screw the sympathy. “Five! Open up.”

Allison cursed. ” _Diego_ , just slow down!” 

“Five!”

”Diego!” He threw his fist against the door. Did he have the intention to break it? Probably. His knuckles panged with pain as he ripped his hand out of the hole he’d made. Fantastic.

Diego growled as he twisted the door knob and pushed open the door. He swear he saw Five go in here... with the precise words ‘go humble yourselves’ as he slithered his way in for the night. 

It was empty. Of course it was. It also looked entirely unused by the creaseless bedding and perfectly levelled pillows. The only thing to stand out was the black inked paper leaning again the window. Diego’s eyebrow twitched irritatedly as he stalked over and snatched the folded paper.

Such a Five thing to do. Such a bullshit thing that Diego was really starting to under appreciate.

_Took Klaus and your money.  
-be back later _

Clearly, the therapy sessions did nothing good for him as he kicked the desk chair by the windowsill as Allison stood behind him leaning against the doorway in mock amusement with karma written over her face.

“Allison? Diego? What are you doing?” The insult he had planned died on his tongue as he glanced at his short, ruffle haired sister standing awkwardly next to his taller one.

”Hey Vanya,” she whispered softly. 

“Allison,” Vanya smiled although her eyes hung low. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

Diego hated it when she was like this. When she said these things. Honestly, exploding the world twice made him think she’d gotten all the awkwardness out of her.

”No- no Ally’s just trying to dig a bigger hole.”

” _Me_? You-“ 

“Oh. Yeah... I thought I heard that.” Vanyas eyes followed Diego’s tilted head to the door.

“That’s not-“ Diego raised his eyebrows at her and Allison huffed.

”Is Luther still asleep?” They all fell silent in the lack of an answer. Only then, did Diego catch onto the loud snores echoing through the walls as they shook the tiniest bit.

”Yep.”

Vanya turned to him slowly. “Should we wake him?”

”Nah.”

”So what now?” Diego pinched the bridge of his nose.

”We need stuff.”

Allison scoffed. “Obviously.”

”Alright Al, get your rumour head on because we are going shopping.”

”No, no. I can’t-“

”Suck it up sis, there are bigger stakes than trauma.” Diego knocked into her lightly as he walked past. She’d rumoured the racists sure. Attempted to rumour Lila, but rumouring some innocent person? It makes her sick like it never did before. All she sees is Raymond’s terrified face because of _her_ and then there’s Claire...

_I’m so tired, mommy._

_She chuckled as Claire began to squirm her way into the covers._

_I know._

***

Klaus had swiftly left Griddys after he got uncomfortable with all the glares and looks. He yanked his hood to his head and hugged his hat to his chest as he walked down the street. He had no target in mind. People typically don’t when they get their head slammed into a table by their older/younger brother.

How did Diego know? But not Five? Does he have to repeat that entire conversation with the rest of his siblings and get the same treatment? He’d rather lie about Ben again. The nuisance can’t exactly complain.

Ths sight of glistening, glorious bottles got his eye through the glass of a liquor shop. He really should’ve drunk earlier- yesterday. He’d never seen a liquor store in 2019. Especially not one called...

 _Quolir fo smas_...? And how would that be pronounced exactly? Unless the owner was drugged off their ass when they came up with that name. If that’s the case then hats off to them.

He kept on walking. The town was actually kinda pretty with all its uniqueness.

He crossed a road past another shop with a newspaper stand- 

Klaus immediately backtracked. He snatched the paper with his ex- brothers face on and stared with all the bubbling emotions inside of him stinging his eyes. Ben- not Ben looked intensely at the camera even with his dumb eye mask on. 

People didn’t have to pay for these right?

He walked again while holding the paper in his fingers.

Whats up with this anyway...

With one glance, he realised that he couldn’t read any of it.

For starters, it was all random letters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment if you want...it’d be nice tho.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m trying okay. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER- this is not a season three prediction story. 
> 
> This is my own story centred around Klaus (mostly) with the scene of season three... although it all joins up very nicely...


End file.
